The South Atlantic opens

Rifting that began in the Jurassic completes: a narrow seaway propagates northward from the southern tip of Gondwana until Africa and South America are separated along their whole length. Before the two coasts clear each other the basin is repeatedly cut off and evaporated, laying down the thick Aptian salt that would later trap the pre-salt oil of Brazil and Angola. The matching coastlines are the observation that first suggested continental drift to Wegener, and the matching rock sequences and fossils on either side are why the idea eventually won.